Plangency

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An auditory quality that expresses a profound sense of sorrow through rich resonance and lasting impact
2. A sound quality that conveys intense sadness through deep and enduring tones
3. The characteristic of a tone that evokes strong feelings of grief by its sonorous and sustained nature

Etymology: "Plangency" is simply "plangent" with the suffix "-cy" added. "Plangent" comes from Latin "plangere," meaning "to lament, to beat the breast in mourning," and it describes a sound that is loud, ringing, and mournful at once. The sense of resonant sadness is what made the adjective attractive to English writers, and the noun names that quality as a thing in itself. The suffix "-cy" comes from Latin "-cia" and Greek "-kia," and it turns adjectives into abstract nouns of quality, as in "accuracy" from "accurate" or "fluency" from "fluent." Attaching it to "plangent" produces a noun for the state of being plangent, so the word refers to the mournful ringing quality of a sound rather than to the sound itself.